The Associate in Arts in Child Development is a two-tiered program designed to meet the needs of students wishing to work with young children in a childcare or early childhood educational setting. This program will enable those individuals presently employed in childcare settings to become more effective and may enable them to advance in their careers.

Initially, a student may wish to complete the Child Care Certificate of Achievement. This Certificate provides the competencies needed for the national Child Development Associates (CDA) credential. An additional 480 hours of work experience with children must be completed within five years of applying for this credential. This experience is usually gained through employment in a childcare setting.

If desired, a person can apply to the Council for Early Childhood Professional Recognition for assessment in order to receive the CDA credential.

Students wishing to continue their education with the goal of completing an Associates degree may complete the remaining courses in the degree program. These courses provide course work that may be transferred to most teacher training institutions without loss of credit. Students should consult the transfer guides found in the Counseling Office or on the Pre-Education Web site www.hfcc.net/pre-education to select courses that transfer to their chosen transfer institution.

Certificate of Achievement in Child Development

PSY 131 Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
PSY 152 Child Psychology (3 credits)
HPE 157 Nutrition, Health and P.E. for Classroom Teacher (2 credits)
CHD 201 Introduction to Creative Child Care (3 credits)
CHD 202 Portfolio and Assessment Preparation (3 credits)

Associate in Arts - Child Care Development

Required Core Courses

The following courses are required for the Child Care Certificate of Achievement.

PSY 131 Introduction to Psychology (3 credits)
PSY 152 Child Psychology (3 credits)
HPE 157 Nutrition, Health and P.E. for Classroom Teacher (2 credits)
CHD 201 Introduction to Creative Child Care (3 credits)
CHD 202 Portfolio and Assessment Preparation (3 credits)

Total 14 credits


Additional Required Courses
CIS 221 Instructional Tech. For Teachers (3 credits)
ENG 246 Children's Literature (3 credits)
MATH 121 Math for Elementary Teachers I (3 credits)
MATH 221 Math for Elementary Teachers II (3 credits)
PSY 256 Educational Psychology (3 credits)
PSY 294 Educational Psychology Practicum (1 credits)
Science* 100 level or higher (4 credits)

Total 20 credits

Required Support Courses
ENG 131 Composition (3 credits)
ENG 132 Composition, cont. (3 credits)
POLS 131 Introduction to Political Science (3 credits)
Humanities* 100 level or higher (5 credits)

Elective Courses
ART 119 Art for the Elementary Teacher (3 credits)
MUS 147 Basic Music I for the Elementary Classroom Teacher (3 credits)
Science** 100 level or higher (4 credits)

Additional electives may be selected from courses that can be used toward teaching minors.

Total 12 - 14 credits

*Students planning to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with the Early Childhood endorsement should consult the transfer guides and choose courses that will maximize their ability to transfer to their chosen school without loss of credit.

**At least one must be a lab science, and the courses are to come from two different areas.

Salary Information*
Annual Salary Range (1999) $26,624 - $33,384

Employment Outlook*
There is a strong demand for childcare workers. There are an increasing number of pre-school age children with working mothers. This fact, along with retirements, deaths, and attrition of childcare workers, the employment outlook is good.

* from Michigan Occupational Information System